Cold Cap Technology Comes to Newcastle

Cancer patients in Newcastle will soon be offered a solution to hair loss caused by chemotherapy treatment with the introduction of cold cap technology from Thursday, 1 May 2014 at Newcastle Private Hospital.

A well-documented side effect of many chemotherapy drugs, hair loss often significantly impacts the quality of life of many cancer patients. Novocastrians will now be able to combat this side effect via cold cap technology.

Widely used in Europe, cold cap technology is currently only available in a small number of hospitals in Australia and can reduce chemotherapy-induced alopecia.

“For many patients, undergoing chemotherapy is a very difficult time and a sudden change in appearance can be a visual reminder of the disease and treatment,” Michael continued.

“We are thrilled to now offer advanced cold cap technology to our patients and help them through what can be a daunting and challenging experience.”

The scalp cooling Dignicap System will be available to patients undergoing chemotherapy and reduces the chance of hair loss from the head.

The device uses a small refrigerated cooling system to pump a liquid coolant through a cap, which fits snugly around the head. Cooling the scalp during chemotherapy means that less of the chemotherapy drug reaches the follicles and hair is less likely to fall out.

The system is effective with most chemotherapy drugs, with eight out of 10 users keeping their hair and feeling no need to wear a wig.